We opted to brew an Imperial Red Ale; a mostly balanced, ominous, reigning force easing you into cooperation. In honor of their creativity, three different labels were designed for this beer. Each one takes its own slant towards the spirit of Lumpen and its Boring Theoretical Party. The Chairman will be available at our brewery store and at Maria's Packaged Goods in Bridgeport. To Lumpen!

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Bought this at the release on 11/11/11 when I was in Chicago for the wood & barrel aged beer festival. Poured into a tulip glass. The body is a clear reddish brown, a usual pour produces a 3/4 inch head that is foamy and tan, and dissipates fairly quickly to a cap and ring, leaving curtains of lacing on the glass. Could be redder for a red ale.

Smells malty and sweet with some earthy, grassy hops.

Tastes of caramelized malt, sweet bready notes, a hint of milk chocolate and some mint. Finish is earthy and grassy, with just a little bitterness. It is an odd beer, after a few tastes it seems quite aggressive on the palate, but then then the palate adjusts and it gets more pleasant. The malt and hop levels are equal to the alcohol level. At first it tastes more malty sweet, but then tastes hoppier as it is consumed. It holds together, but its balance is constantly in question.

This has a burning sensation on the tongue from both the roasted malt and the hops. Body is medium and carbonation is light, and it has a slightly creamy mouthfeel.

It lives up to its billing as an imperial red ale, in taste if not so much in color. After a few months of aging (kept in the beer fridge at 49 degrees), it is still nicely hoppy. Will make it a point to consume the remaining bottles soon. (1,298 characters)

My bottle, from Maria's and shared with Steve. Malty English style red, comes across like a vintage ale, yet we know its still within a few months on the shelf. Toasty aroma and taste. Dark reddish colour with an off-white head, lacey. Steve noticed first it was a little oxidized. Hops kick in at the finish. Not bad. (318 characters)

Bomber courtesy of the very generous people at half acre. Just one of the many amazing complementary beers they gave me. Thanks again for your amazing customer support!

A-Pours a very dark amber with a frothy two finger head.

S-Very biscuity and herbal with some jasmine shining through.

T-Some grape and and very wheat bread like. There is a bit of a burned caramel taste as well. There is almost some citrus in the after taste. Not too sweet but has a bitter finish.

M-Medium carbonation combined with the mild bitterness gives this an incredibly smooth mouthfeel. Fairly light body for the abv and flavor.

O-I am a novice to the style, but this is a mighty fine beer. I enjoyed it more on tap but this was still a nice treat. I would be content if they released this in cans. The abv was shocking as I had no knowledge of it while drinking it. (852 characters)

Brought back to Houston from Chicago from my sister as a Christmas gift! Very welcome and appreciated new bottle that I have never heard of. Poured from bottle into Half Acre tulip glass. Pours a cloudy dark amber color, an off-white head, nice lacing. Smell- a cocoa aroma, some malty breadiness, and a little bit of a plastic scent. Not a huge detractor but its there. I don't get any citrus flavors here, it's all a darker, maltier aroma. Taste- some bitterness on the first taste that is followed by some saccharine sweetness. It definitely tastes a bit artificial. Some roastiness from the malt in the backbone, but other than that, this beer is not too complex. The ABV is def there, it's a little boozy. The hops presence is all there in the form of a bitter ending to this beer. It's not a great beer, not a horrible one. I would pass on it in the future though. (870 characters)

After trying this on tap at Maria's I decided to get a bottle to go. Here's to Lumpen, a great local magazine chock full of politics, arts, and culture. Has it really been 20 years? That's really impressive!

Nicely saturated deep ruddy copper hue, sticky and creamy head of foam that lasts for the duration of the glass. Drippy arcs of lacing hang inside the glass.

A- Pours a dark shade of amber. Off white head, about a finger high with small amounts of lace left.

S- Sweet caramel malt aroma comes through the most. Maybe a bit of citrus in the middle maybe. At the end get a bit of toasted/burnt aroma.

T- Lots of malty flavors in this. Caramel malts give off lots of sweetness. Some fruit, citrus hop flavor really tries to come through, but the malts don't allow much. Still a bit of burnt flavor at the end.

M- Medium body. Moderate carbonation. A bit dry.

O- If you like lots of malty flavor this is for you. First Imperial red ale, and not my favorite style. Ok to drink just not my preference. Still thank you for the try Ryan, always love to try Half Acre. (771 characters)

M - Medium body, with a toasted grain texture and dry finish. Some light alcohol warmth, but nothing excessive for 9.5%. Carbonation is pleasant but restrained.

D - Yep - it's exactly what you'd expect from an Imperial Red Ale. If the alcohol were hidden a bit better it'd be an enjoyable beer, but as it stands it's merely acceptable. I'd stick with the Ginger Twin recipe in the future. (932 characters)

Markfry hooked me up with this beer in what I hope to be the first of many trades. An awesome variety of Half Acre brews were included with this being the main initiator to make a deal. Thanks again, Mark for such an awesome box!

Pouring into my SF Beer Week 2011 tulip. It's a slightly hazy, amber color with touches of orange glow. Foam formed a 1-2 finger very light tan and is already leaving sticky lacing along the glass as I intake the aroma.

Toasty maltiness percolates up first with its trusty caramel scented accomplice. Candied orange peel hops noted as well. Alcohol is noticeable but not unpleasant.

More caramel malts coming through in the flavor along with a hearty, dark toasted bread. Subtle chocolate. Tangerine-like fruit signals the hop presence as does a dank/musty quality which is more noticeable as the beer warms.

Roughly medium bodied but feels thicker on the tongue that you might expect. Moderate level of carbonation.

All in all, I'm enjoying the chance to sample this beer but certainly had higher hopes. Somewhat off-kilter for a big red ale, would like to see more layered flavors here and a less noticeable boozy presence. (1,165 characters)

A - Nice looking beer, a bit of a lighter brown with a beige head that left some decent stick on the sides.

S - Very malty. There's a bit of citrus and fruit that seem to weight it down more than needed. Smells fairly sweet.

T - Kind of bores me. It's a bit of a malt bomb with some fruit notes. Needs some more balancing characteristics as the sweetness and malts taste too heavy. Could stand some more hops. I find it kind of boring.

M - Smooth, malty, too much body, probably heavier side of medium.

O - Maybe Reds just aren't meant to be imperialized, whatever the case, don't really like this take on it. Average beer. (627 characters)

as much a this style has to offer all that bases are hit with a nice warm belly feeling. The toasted malt i could see being a bit troublesome with the abv and could have a booziness. Pour is red and mildly lacy. Nose of citrus hop. No alcohol noted here. Palate is rather savory dry. Hint of toasted malt, and chocolate. A lingering bitter note that clings to the toasty. Great for cheese. (389 characters)

Poured from a 22oz bomber into two pint glasses. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Pours a rich, deep amber color with a creamy/pillowy plop of off-white foam on top. Retention was just ok with the head quickly melting down to a thin collar that left a suprising amount of lace.

S: Pan sauteed peaches, orange zest, and a healthy amount of toasty caramel malt. Light, field fresh strawberries on the nose as well.

T: Just as above with slightly more of a toasted flavor to the maltiness.

M: Rich and creamy with a healthy amount of spicy alcohol and hops. Dry during the middle and finish with a suggestion of a berry-like tang.

O: We liked this. It's not really a go to style for us and frankly it got a little tiring towards the end with the (relatively) high ABV, but the creamy balance of the mouthfeel really saved this from being too one note. (860 characters)